Things Worth Fighting For
by hervissa
Summary: Effie Trinket expected many things when she got the word that Peeta's been successfully rescued. What actually happened was worse than anything she could've imagined. But solitude isn't always the best solution when you're an emotional wreck...


**A****/N: I might be writing this under heavy influence from the movie. Which I've seen, like, an hour an half before I started writing this.  
And even though I love the books and will always respect them, the movies are one of the best paper-to-screen adaptations I've ever seen.  
And I won't lie, I absolutely LOVE Effie in District 13.  
Along with everyone else.  
OSCARS! OSCARS, PEOPLE!**

Effie Trinket wasn't usually too fond of alcohol, mainly because she didn't like the numb feeling it gave her. However, tonight she was willing to make an exception. Tonight, she was desperate for something to make the pain stop, to calm down the turmoil of terror and confusion and worry and anger and everything else spiraling inside of her.  
And if the feeling of her consciousness slowly slipping into numbness was the only way to do it, then so be it.

She saw the whole exchange between Katniss and Peeta from the corridor. Barely holding in her excitement and happiness that her two darlings were reunited again, she peeked in through the window in the door as Katniss slowly took the few steps towards Peeta, her voice sounding nervous and hopeful at the same time as she said his name.  
And then it all went to hell.  
One moment, Peeta and Katniss were staring at each other and Effie was _sure_ they were going to hug, and then, without as much as a warning, Peeta was strangling Katniss on the floor and everyone was trying to get him off her.  
Horror gripped Effie's heart as she watched the scene unfold in front of her and she couldn't help wincing when Boggs finally managed to knock Peeta out.  
With all the strength and will she could put together, she tried to help the others when they were securing Peeta and making sure Katniss was alright, but it was as if she was watching herself doing things while her mind was floating somewhere above her head, completely struck by what happened.

She sat quietly in the corner of the command room when Haymitch summoned the usual gang to get facts straight and to discuss their options. As Beetee described what was most probably done to Peeta, she kept her face calm and collected, even though she was screaming on the inside.

In one moment Haymitch leaned over to her and asked quietly: "You okay?"  
Effie nodded, not trusting herself to talk, and shot him a look that - she hoped - said _thank you_. It was nice to know that somebody cared.

As she expected, nobody asked her about the Capitol torture program - not that she had anything to say, anyway. So she eventually slipped out of the room and went to the hospital wing.

She wanted to be there when Katniss woke up, but the doctors told her the girl was going to need a lot of space - but no worries, they'll tell her when she can visit.

_Visit._

Like everything was okay and she was just a friend from school that wanted to bring her homework.  
Like she wasn't worried to death about the state of the brunette lying in the dimly lit hospital room. Katniss has been through too much and she needed to know there were people she could count on, no matter what. She needed support.

But Effie knew her health was even more important. And at least she could use the time to try and find a way to calm down for _just a damn minute_ so she could pull herself together.

The prohibition law District 13 had was strict and understandable, but right now Effie was quite set on the task of drowning all her emotions in a bottle. And as much as Haymitch cursed and muttered about the lack of 'the good stuff' in the underground complex, Effie was pretty sure he had something in his quarters. For the rainy days.

And so she found herself standing in front of his door (which has, admittedly, taken her some time to find). Thankfully, the corridor was deserted and she knew the inhabitant of the apartment himself was still discussing things with Plutarch and Beetee, so she didn't bother with knocking and opened the door.

Haymitch's quarters were a fascinating mixture of orderly chaos, with stuff laying basically anywhere and everywhere while having a sense of belonging there at the same time. Effie didn't know how long she had before Haymitch came back and she would be dead with embarassement if he found her snooping around his personal space, so she didn't waste any time and started looking.

As she opened the few cupboards and storage spaces these _cells_ had, she found an envelope, tucked into a corner. It was blank, but there was something inside. And as much as she valued privacy, Effie was very curious. Twice as much when it came to Haymitch Abernathy.

And so she carefully opened the envelope and pulled out...a stack of photos?  
There was a few pictures of a forest - if Effie had to guess, she'd say it was back at District 12 - , but what _really _caught her eye was the sight of her own face. And she wasn't alone in the photo - Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta were there too, all happy and smiling. She recognized the occassion immediately - it was right after the first Games, just before the young victors went home.

Slowly, Effie sat on the bed and just stared at the picture. There was so much happiness in it, so much carelessness, no dark shadow of the Capitol looming over them, just a bunch of friends enjoying the fact that they were alive.

And where were they now?

Katniss became a symbol of revolution, bravely carrying all the responsibilities and duties that came with it, even though she was broken and scarred from all the things Capitol threw at her. All the things she survived.

Haymitch spent most of his time trying to push the rebellion forward, trying to find the best path for Katniss to take, refusing to give up. Gritted teeth and stuborness and steel in his gaze.

She, Effie, was forced to live without her comfort and luxury - and while she knew far too well that it didn't really matter, she missed something nice to hold onto. But she never stopped supporting the girl on fire, even though she couldn't actually fight or help people survive with some amazing skill. All she could do was to inspire, to cheer up - and so she tried.

And Peeta...oh, Peeta. The sweet, sweet boy from the bakery who came such a long way from the first Games. And now, they've turned him into a monster, forged him into another weapon of the Capitol.

The dam inside Effie's mind broke. All the emotions she tried so hard to keep bottled up inside came roaring to the surface and she just couldn't stop the anymore. And so she curled up in the corner of the bed and cried, the picture still tightly in her hand.

It was like that when Haymitch found her. Effie tried to apologize for her being there, but she could barely get a few words through the tears before Haymitch sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her to himself.

As surprised as Effie was at the gesture, she was actually very glad for it. Haymitch's presence, his familiarity, the trust she felt towards him, that was all better than any drink she could've found.

After some time of crying into his shirt, Effie's tears started to dry out. Still, she made no effort to free herself of Haymitch's arms around her.

"Thank you," she said, hoping he'd understand the meaning of being glad for more than just him being a shoulder to cry on. It seemed that he did, because he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"You're welcome, darling."

Haymitch carefully moved himself into a more comfortable position with Effie curled up at his side and said quietly: "Try to get some sleep. Things will get better, but not when you have no energy to go on. Don't worry, they'll come to tell me when Katniss wakes up. Alright?"

Effie raised her head and for the first time in a long while properly looked at the face of the man who always kept going. There was actual softness in his eyes, the kind that made Effie's heart flutter. The two of them have known each other for many years, but until Katniss came, all they had was a fragile sort-of friendship.

But now, Effie could see a possibility of something more, something beautiful.  
Who said it that happiness could be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembered to turn on the light?  
It was a phrase from her childhood, one that somehow got stuck in her memory.

And as she studied the face of the man next to her, she was starting to understand that sometimes, people can be your light.

As for turning on..._well_, she thought as she slowly brought her lips to Haymitch's, _we will just have to try._

And then he met her halfway and Effie Trinket was absolutely sure that this was what she wanted, more than fashion, more than comfort, more than luxury - this, the feeling of peace, of being safe and sound. This, the man who could chase away her fears and calm down her anxiety.

This, the man who helped spin her life around.

This, one of the few who supported Katniss for the person she was, not the symbol she was seen as.

This, her steady rock for all the storms to come.

And all that was something she was definitely going to fight for.


End file.
